Bombay suffers
from lack of structural and economic capabilities to support the migration
into the city.

New Bombay was developed to relieve
urbanization problems in Bombay. Originally projected as a model of
planned urban development, New Bombay has grown haphazardly into an outer
suburb of the island city. The indigenous population has been displaced
from their old settlements, and their cultivatable land acquired for development.

With land prices still within
reach of the middle class, New Bombay continues to grow.

Bombay,
Calcutta and other cities are suffering from: Noise Pollution and Air Pollution,and sanitation problems.

The causes of air pollution are
mainly industries in the eastern suburbs and New Bombay, garbage burning
by the BMC, and insufficient control over emission levels from vehicles.

Only about 80% of the city’s
area has sewage.

It has been estimated that Bombay
requires about 50,000 toilets, but only has 200 in operation.

Located close to Thane-Belapur,
the largest chemical industry zone in Asia, New Bombay is exposed to high
levels of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals released by these industries.

Some of these industries release noxious gases at night
to prevent detection.

New Bombay does not have the infrastructure to house
the immigration.

Bombay
has a very high incidence of chronic respiratory problems from air pollution.

Despite India’s stringent pollution
control measures, outdated technologies, a lack of capital, and poor infrastructure
contribute to the low levels of compliance with environmental legislation.

Only 32% of rural India has access
to safe drinking water, 85% of urban. Only 2% of rural India has adequate
excreta disposal facilities, 45.7% of urban India.

Families and family members are
having to compete for nutrition and land.

As families are too poor to have access to adequate food
and shelter, health conditions worsen and less attention and energy is
given to environmental concerns for future generations creating an ever
worsening cycle of tragic circumstances.

40% of India’s population live in
the Gangetic basin, the Ganges is the most polluted river in India as it
runs beside dozens of cities spewing millions of gallons of untreated
human and industrial waste every day.

Virtually all of India’s surface
water is polluted.

An
estimated 5-7% (6.6-9.2 million) preschool children suffer from xerophthalmia
due to lack of vitamin A which causes at least 60,000 school children
to go blind each year.

Over 50% of preschool children and 65-70% of adolescent
girls (future mothers)are believed to be
anemic.

Iodine deficiency disorders cause
an estimated 90,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths each year in India.

Infants with low birth rate:
33%

Children under 5 stunted: 65%

Children underweight: 69%

Children and mothers bath in waters
as part of their religious practices. The locals believe that they will
be cleansed spiritually by bathing in the waters. Children work, play and
drink from the Ganges, their parents do not realize the dangers in doing
so.

Improve
the coverage of the National Vitamin A Prophylaxis Program so that more
children benefit.

Nutrition education, horticultural
interventions, and vitamin A food fortification are other strategies being
pursued to combat vitamin A deficiency.

More rigorous monitoring of the
iodine content of salt will ensure better health.

Promote women in development,
anti-poverty, eco and environment and community development projects.

What is needed in an integrated
approach that generates awareness of the problems to the fullest extent
by involving the public and locally elected representatives, says
Ganges Action Plan’s chief advisor.

Even though
India has been involved in Nuclear projects since 1974, it has recently
armed itself with nuclear warfare capabilities, claiming that it was needed
to ensure national security.

The country’s
nuclear waste management strategy has only been planned for the next twenty
years. How will the country afford to implement waste storage facilities
afterwards? What can the country feasibly do now to ensure the health of
its citizens against improper nuclear waste storage?

Nuclear war between Pakistan and
India is now a possibility for the children of the two countries.

Encourage peace between nations.

Educate the populations of India about the detriments
of nuclear waste and exposure.

Lead Researcher for Children, Poverty
and Environmental Degradation Matrices: Julia Harris Vanover, University
of Tennessee College of Social Work MSW student, Management and Community
Practice Concentration